Facebook Tests Targeting to Groups

With over one and a half billion users, Facebook is the go-to platform for social media advertising. The average user recognizes it as a spectacular space to discover and share stories with loved ones. As a result, many advertisers have come to love Facebook as a means for connecting their brands to a huge audience.

Besides, social media advertising is expected to explode within the next three years, with Facebook in the lead. It offers advanced targeting options, such as interest and behavioral targeting. Improved conversion tracking is also a part of the package, which most social media sites provide. Mobile dominance is another key factor as many users access Facebook on mobile devices multiple times a day.

Facebook Tests Ads in Groups

That’s right! Facebook will reach the peak of social media advertising via its News Feed during mid-2017. Therefore, it needs new revenue streams to continue its advertising momentum for the coming years.

And Facebook has decided to turn to Groups. It has started testing ads in Facebook Groups to determine how people respond to them before their official implementation. Testing includes the mobile and desktop versions of Groups in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

If Facebook chooses to permanently establish Groups as ad space, ads will be served to one billion users. Exciting, right?

The Strength Behind Facebook Groups

But why give Facebook Groups priority for profitable social media advertising? Besides, Facebook has considerable ad space with Instagram, in addition to testing live video mid-roll ads and sponsored business messages.

In reality, Facebook Groups offer the easiest way to generate ad dollars through traditional browsing. Ads in Groups won’t be distracting because they will look the same as News Feed ads. They will be targeted by group topic, in addition to relying on standard identity-based targeting.

The success of going from 500 million group users to the now one billion users is based on buy-and-sell Groups. Advertisers can more easily get their hands on established communities of strongly shared interests.

A Reliable Source of Continued Ad Revenue

It’s safe to say that Facebook Groups will be a strong, reliable source of social media advertising revenue. One reason is the high emphasis on personalization.

Since each group is tailored to a specific set of values and experiences, advertisers can sustainably channel their desired buyer persona. Advertisers will need to optimize their content in a personalized fashion to reach users halfway.

And it can be done for highly desirable results, whether it be centered on hobbyists or professionals. With proper group categorization, certain advertisers could experience stronger targeting through Groups than their own product pages.

What This Means For You

If things go well with this experiment, you could have a more structured space for your social media advertising practices. It will be easier for you to define your target audience through Groups. And you can design your ads more thoughtfully by embracing the unique interests of Groups you connect with.

There’s even a higher chance your retargeting efforts will be taken more seriously by group members. They’ll keep looking for content related to your chosen group topic.